System, method, and user interface for advertising via a voice channel

ABSTRACT

A method includes sending verification information from a mobile communication device to a second device. The method includes receiving, at the mobile communication device from the second device responsive to sending the verification information, an announcement. The announcement includes purchase information for a first item that is available for purchase via a website. The method includes, after receipt of the announcement, receiving a message at the mobile communication device from the second device for presentation to a user of the mobile communication device. The method also includes, during presentation of the message and responsive to a change in a particular condition associated with the purchase information, receiving updated purchase information for the first item from the second device and changing from presentation of the message to presentation of the updated purchase information for the first item.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from and is a continuationapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/474,674, filed Jun.26, 2006, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to communicating advertisements via voicechannels.

BACKGROUND

As of May 2005, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association(CTIA) estimates that there are 182 million wireless subscribers in theUnited States. Further, the CTIA estimates that over 2.5 billion textmessages are sent every month. Text messages, sent via short messagingservice (SMS), are currently used by Internet companies to delivernotifications to mobile telephones. Unfortunately, text messaging is notsecure, does not provide guaranteed delivery, is not free, and is notsent in real-time.

Regarding security issues, programs have been provided that can enablesomeone to spoof a sender's SMS address. Further, since SMS messages aresent using “store and forward” based systems, there is no guarantee thatsent SMS messages are received within any particular timeframe. As such,some SMS providers present a disclaimer to their users that the provideris not responsible for messages that are lost or significantly delayeddue to transmission via the Internet. Also, unlike voice calling plans,there currently are no “nights and weekends free” service plans for SMSmessaging.

For certain e-commerce websites, e.g., online auction sites, textmessaging is not a very efficient way to interact with the websitebecause the auctions are typically fast paced and require confirmeddelivery of bids. Further, the auction sites may utilize instantfeedback for usability and understanding of the system. Moreover, a textmessaging interface can be difficult to use with a mobile device due tothe size of the text on a small display screen and the requirement toread the text. These problems become more evident while trying to sendand receive text messages while driving.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and method ofcommunicating with e-commerce websites, e.g., auction websites.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing a system of facilitatinge-commerce;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing a system of contacting a userover a voice channel about an item available for sale at a vendorwebsite;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of establishing a useraccount with a vender website monitoring system;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a general method of monitoring avender website;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a detailed method of contacting aregistered user about an auction website;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a detailed method of contacting aregistered user about an e-commerce website;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method of advertising;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating another method of advertising;

FIG. 9 is a flow charting illustrating a method of insertingadvertisements into a telephone call; and

FIG. 10 is a time line associated with a telephone call.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An audio interface for communicating information regarding an onlineauction item is disclosed and includes an announcement, wherein theannouncement includes information that is associated with the onlineauction item. The audio interface also includes an authorization promptto retrieve authentication information and an advertisement.

In a particular embodiment, the advertisement is a targetedadvertisement associated with the online auction item. Alternatively,the advertisement is a general advertisement. In another particularembodiment, the audio interface includes an advertisement-free timeperiod in which advertisements are not communicated. Theadvertisement-free time period commences at a predetermined time beforean end of an auction for the online auction item.

In yet another particular embodiment, the audio interface includes afirst status update that is communicated during the advertisement-freetime period and a user action prompt that is communicated during theadvertisement-free time period. In a particular embodiment, the at leastone user action prompt is a prompt to perform at least one of thefollowing actions: increase a bid, increase a maximum bid, and purchasean item at a buy it now price. Further, the advertisement-free timeperiod ends at the end of the auction for the online auction item.

In another particular embodiment, the audio interface includes apre-final status announcement advertisement that is communicated afterthe advertisement-free time period ends. The pre-final statusannouncement advertisement can be a targeted advertisement that isassociated with the online auction item. Alternatively, the pre-finalstatus announcement advertisement is a general advertisement that isassociated with a mass marketing campaign. Ads may be targeted to a userbased on demographics and/or past interaction/purchasing history. Forexample, if a user is in a specific zip code/exchange area, AND/OR userhas a history of purchasing home furnishings, the advertisement isrelated to home furnishings, even though the specific auction at thetime might be for shoes.

In still another particular embodiment, the audio interface includes afinal status announcement and the final status announcement indicateswhether the user won or lost the auction of the online auction item. Thefinal status announcement can further indicate the final bid for theonline auction item.

In another particular embodiment, the audio interface includes apost-final status announcement advertisement. The post-final statusannouncement advertisement includes information that is associated withan item that is similar to the online auction item. Alternatively, thepost-final status announcement advertisement includes information thatis associated with an item that is related to the online auction item.

In yet another particular embodiment, the audio interface includes asecond user action prompt that is communicated after the post-finalstatus announcement. The second user action prompt is a prompt toperform at least one of the following actions: submit a bid, submit amaximum bid, purchase an item, place an item on a watch list, and placean item on a wish list. Users may opt to take action at a future time,i.e. “I call dibs” on an item (pending further review back at the PC),opt-in to have information on that item or service delivered viaemail/sms/IM/added to their online account for further review and/oraction. Users may opt for “LIVE TRANSFER” to another company in responseto an ad. For example, if they're bidding on a car, and win, a targetedad for auto financing is generated, and the user can “press 1 to speakto Wells Fargo” about financing that car purchase.

In another embodiment, a method of contacting a user about an item thatis available via an auction website is disclosed and includesestablishing a telephone call over a voice channel to the user,authenticating the user, communicating an auction announcement to theuser over the voice channel, communicating a current bid to the userover the voice channel, indicating whether the user is a high bidder forthe item, and communicating one or more advertisements to the user overthe voice channel.

In yet another embodiment, a method of advertising to a user that isbidding on a first item at an online auction is disclosed and includescontacting the user via a voice channel during an online auction of thefirst item, authenticating the user, and communicating at least oneaudio advertisement to the user via the voice channel before the onlineauction ends.

In still another embodiment, a system for notifying a user over a voicechannel with respect to an item at an auction website is disclosed andincludes a voice generation module that includes a first voice message.The first voice message includes a greeting, a reason for a call, and aprompt for a personal identification number. The reason for the callrelates to the item at the auction website. The system further includesan advertising module that includes at least one audio advertisement.

In yet still another embodiment, a collection of human audible messagesis disclosed and includes a human audible announcement that includesinformation associated with an online auction item. The collection ofhuman audible messages also includes a human audible authorizationprompt and a human audible advertisement.

In another embodiment, a communication link to communicate audioinformation is disclosed. The audio information includes a first audiomessage that includes a human audible announcement identifying an onlineauction item, a second audio message that includes a human audibleauthorization prompt to seek user identity information, and a thirdaudio message that includes at least one human audible advertisement.

In still yet another embodiment, a method is disclosed and includesreceiving a first signal that includes an announcement associated withan online auction item, combining at least one audio advertisement andthe first signal to produce a combined signal, and communicating thecombined signal over a voice channel.

In yet another embodiment, a method of advertising is disclosed andincludes generating a telephone call. The telephone call includes anaudible announcement associated with an online auction item and an audioadvertisement insertion window. The method further includes inserting anaudio advertisement into the audio advertisement insertion window.

In another embodiment, a data signal is disclosed and includes a firstdigital signal that represents a human audible announcement. The humanaudible announcement includes audio information associated with anonline auction item. The data signal also includes a second digitalsignal that represents a human audible authorization prompt and a thirddigital signal that represents at least one human audible advertisement.At least one of the first digital signal, the second digital signal, andthe third digital signal is stored in a computer readable memory.

In still another embodiment, a communication device is disclosed andincludes an audio generator. The audio generator is configured toprovide audio information associated with an online auction. The audioinformation further includes an authorization prompt and an audioadvertisement.

Referring to FIG. 1, a system of facilitating e-commerce is shown and isdesignated 100. As shown, the system 100 includes a monitoring system102 that communicates with a vender server 104 via the Internet 106.Further, the monitoring system 102 communicates with a voice overInternet protocol (VoIP) server 108 via the network 106. In a particularembodiment, a user telephone 110 is coupled to the monitoring system 102via the Internet 106. Further, the user telephone 110 can be coupled tothe Internet 106 via a telephone network 111, e.g., a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) or a wireless telephone network, such as globalsystem for mobile communication (GSM) network.

In a particular embodiment, the vender server 104 can be an e-commerceserver that offers goods for sale with fixed pricing or escalatingpricing based on an auction format. As shown, the vender server 104 caninclude a processor 112 and a memory 114 coupled to the processor 112.In a particular embodiment, one or more software applications or modulesmay be embedded within the memory 114 of the vender server 104. Forexample, the vender server 104 can include a vender interface module 116embedded within the memory 114. The vender interface module 116 canprovide connectivity with the vender server 104, e.g., via the Internet106. In an illustrative embodiment, the vender server 104 also includesa user history/watch list module 118 than can be used to track theshopping or bidding history of one or more users and items that one ormore users are seeking to purchase.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vender server 104 can further include aninventory module 120 that can be used to track the inventory providedfor sale via the vender server 104. Further, the vender server 104 caninclude a cross sell/up sell module 122 that can be used to increase thesales provided by the vender server 104. For example, when a userpurchases a particular item, the cross sell/up sell module 122 canrecognize related items that may be useful to the user and offer thoserelated items to the user for sale in conjunction with a purchased item.FIG. 1 also shows that the vender server 104 can include a transactionprocessing module 124 for processing transactions with the vender server104.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the VoIP server 108 can include a processor 126and a memory 128 that is accessible to the processor 126. In aparticular embodiment, one or more software applications or modules maybe embedded within the memory 128 of the VoIP server 108. For example,as shown, an outbound calling capacity module 130 can be embedded withinthe memory. In a particular embodiment, the outbound calling capacitymodule 130 can determine the number of outbound calls that the VoIPserver 108 is capable of establishing at any given time. FIG. 1 alsoindicates that the VoIP server 108 can include a direct inward dialing(DID) availability module 132 that is embedded within the memory 128 ofthe VoIP server 108. In an illustrative embodiment, the DID availabilitymodule 132 can determine whether direct inward dialing is available fora particular user and if so, a DID service can be use to identify acalled party, e.g., by using DTMF or other signaling means, beforeconnecting a call to a called party.

FIG. 1 illustrates that the monitoring system 102 includes a web server134, a call server 136, and a voice mail notification server 138.Additionally, the monitoring system 102 includes a user account database140, a user history database 142, and a caller rules database 144. Eachof the databases 140, 142, 144 can be coupled to one or more of theservers 134, 136, 138 within the monitoring system 102. FIG. 1 alsoindicates that the monitoring system 102 can includes a data miningserver 146 that can be coupled to the databases 140, 142, 144.Additionally, an account server 147 can be coupled to the call server136.

In a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, the web server 134 includes aprocessor 148 and a computer readable medium, e.g., a memory 150, thatis accessible to the processor 148. In a particular embodiment, one ormore software applications or modules may be embedded within the memory150 of the web server 134. For example, an account registration module152 and an account management module 154 can be embedded within thememory 150 of the web server 134. In a particular embodiment, themodules 152, 154 can be used to allow one or more users to establishuser accounts with the monitoring system 102. Further, the modules 152,154 can be used to allow users to configure multiple user accounts on aper-vender basis and configure one or more notification events, ortrigger events, on a per-vender basis.

Additionally, in a particular embodiment, the modules 152, 154 can beused to allow one or more users to update contact information, ornotification information, previously input to the monitoring system. Thecontact information can include alternate numbers at which a user can bereached, e.g., a home telephone number, a work telephone number, and amobile telephone number. Also, in a particular embodiment, the modules152, 154 can allow users to configure call security settings for theuser accounts, e.g., the modules 152, 154 can allow each user toestablish a personal identification number (PIN) with the system andeach user can be prompted to input a PIN when contacted by themonitoring system 102.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the call server 136 within the monitoringsystem 102 can include a processor 156 and a computer readable medium,e.g., a memory 158, that is accessible to the processor 156. In aparticular embodiment, one or more software applications or modules maybe embedded within the memory 158 of the call server 136. For example,an inbound/outbound dialing event management module 160 may be embeddedwithin the memory 158. Also, a DTMF event recognition module 162 may beembedded within the memory 158. Further, a caller authentication module164 may be embedded within the memory 158. FIG. 1 also shows that aninteractive voice response (IVR) module 165 can be embedded within thememory 158. 20. In an alternative embodiment, the caller authenticationmodule may be part of a third party identification verification system.

In a particular embodiment, the inbound/outbound dialing eventmanagement module 160 within the call server 136 can operate in order toestablish calls to users when notification events are detected. Further,the DTMF event recognition module 162 can be used to handle DTMFrecognition of input received from a user device, e.g., a telephone withtouch-tone capabilities. Moreover, the caller authentication module 164can interact with other components within the monitoring system, e.g.,the user account database 140, in order to provide security validationsuch as telephone number verification or PIN verification. Additionally,the modules 160, 162, 164 within the call server 136 can operate withother components within the monitoring system 102 in order to handle oneor more user sessions at the vender websites.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the voice mail notification server 138 caninclude a processor 166 and a computer readable medium, e.g., a memory168, that is accessible to the processor 166. In a particularembodiment, one or more software applications or modules may be embeddedwithin the memory 168 of the voice mail notification server 138. Forexample, a voice mail notification event handling module 170 can beembedded within the memory 168. Moreover, a voice mail storage module172 can be embedded within the memory 168. A GSM to MPEG layer-3 (MP3)conversion module 174 can also be embedded within the memory 168.

In a particular embodiment, the voice mail notification event handlingmodule 170 handles the distribution of non-live audio notifications,e.g., to voice mail systems. Further, the GSM to MP3 conversion module174 can be used to convert GSM audio files to MP3 audio files.Additionally, the voice mail storage module 172 can be used to storevarious audio notifications that can be broadcast to users that areregistered with the monitoring system 102.

In an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment, the account server 147interacts with the call server 136 and a commerce interface 173. In aparticular embodiment, the account server 147 can act as a “virtualuser” for the vender websites when a registered user has beenauthenticated by the call server 136. Further, the account server 147receives DTMF inputs, e.g., from a user via the call server 136, andtranslates the DTMF inputs to outbound Web events on a per vendor basis.For example, a user may press a “1” at a keypad of the user telephoneand the account server can translate that response to an instruction toan auction website to increase a bid by one increment. Additionally, theaccount server 147 receives inputs from the vender websites andtranslates the inputs into audible phone events. Also, the accountserver 147 can translate the inputs into audible menus that can bebroadcast to a registered user.

The commerce interface 173 may be implemented as an applicationprogramming interface (API) that can interact with the account server147 and the vender interface module 116 at the vender server 104 inorder to receive data representative of purchasing events and biddingevents.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the user account database 140 can include userregistration data 176, watch list data 178, and site specificcredentials 180. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the user history database 142can include transaction history data 182, historical price data 184, andhistorical availability data 186. The caller rules database 144 caninclude one or more event triggers 188, i.e., notification events. Forexample, the notification events can include the offer for sale of aparticular item at a particular vendor website at a target price or theimminent end of an auction for a sought after item that a user hasplaced a bid.

In a particular embodiment, the caller rules database 144 can alsoinclude one or more contact rules 190 and one or more caller rules 192.The contact rules 190 can indicate the manner in which a registered useris to be contacted and a user defined order of calling a plurality ofdifferent contact numbers for the user. Further, the caller rules 192can include user defined rules that will always control the action ofthe monitoring system when acting as a “virtual user.” For example, whena particular item is offered for sale, the user can specify for themonitoring system to automatically purchase the item at the askingprice. Thereafter, the monitoring system can contact the user toindicate that the item has been purchased. In an alternative embodiment,the data provided by the databases 140, 142, 144 can be stored in asingle database that is accessible to one or more of the othercomponents within the monitoring system 102.

Each of the servers described above is a processing element that can bea server, as described, or a process. Further, any number or combinationof the modules described above can be stored and executed within asingle processing element or multiple processing elements incommunication with each other.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system, designated 200, of contacting a user over avoice channel about an item available for sale at a vendor website. Asshown, the system 200 includes a notification device 202 that includes aprocessor 204 and a memory 206 that is accessible to the processor 204.Further, a non-voice generation module 208 and a voice generation module210 are embedded within the memory 206.

In a particular embodiment, the notification device 202 communicates anon-voice message 212 and a voice message 214 to a communication device216, e.g., a wireless telephone. Additionally, in a particularembodiment, the non-voice generation module 208 generates the non-voicemessage 212 that is communicated to the communication device 216. Also,in a particular embodiment, the voice generation module 210 generatesthe voice message 214 that is communicated to the communication device216. In a particular embodiment, the voice generation module 210 cangenerate and transmit a first voice message, a second voice message, athird voice message, etc.

Table 1 includes a plurality of exemplary voice messages that may becommunicated to the communication device 216 by the voice generationmodule 210. As shown, the messages are numbered, but the messages arenot necessarily played in the order shown.

TABLE 1 Exemplary Voice messages. Message Description This is <serviceprovider> calling about your Played when user first <auction provider>auction status. Please enter contacted by service your four digit PINnumber now. provider. Your PIN number is incorrect. Please try againPlayed when an or press star and your PIN number will be incorrect PINis mailed to your email address. received. Your PIN did not match.Please try again. Played when an erroneous or non- matching PIN isreceived. You can now bid on auction number <auction Played when acorrect number> in the sub-category <sub-category PIN is received. name>of category <category name>. The current high bid is <current bid>.Played after auction announcement and whenever an item price changes.You are currently the high bidder. Played when user is high bidder. Youare currently not the high bidder. Played when user is not the highbidder. To place a bid using <service provider Played when user is notthe high bidder. The current price is <current price>. Played afterauction announcement and whenever an item price changes. There is <timeremaining> left in the auction. Played periodically when audio, e.g.,when audio is idle. To enter a minimum bid of <minimum bid> Played whenuser is not press # now. the high bidder. To enter a maximum bid, enterthe amount in Played when user is dollars and cents, and then press #.high bidder or when user is not the high bidder. Your bid is less thanthe current minimum bid. Played when a user's bid is less than thecurrent high bid. You have entered a bid of <bid amount>. To Played whena user's confirm your bid, press 1. To enter a different bid is higherthan the bid amount, press 2. To cancel this bid press current high bid.star. Congratulations! Your bid placed through Played when the bid is<service name> was successful. accepted by the auction provider and thebid is the highest bid. We're sorry. The price has changed. Played whenthe bid is not accepted. Your bid was placed successfully, but youPlayed when the have been outbid. auction provider accepts the bid, butthe bid is not the highest bid. To hear your current max bid, press 2.To get Played at the user's the current price for this auction, press 3.To request, after the initial hear the time left in this auction, press4. To bid information, and get the category for this auction, press 5.when the system is idle To hear these options again, press 9. for apredetermined time period. You have pressed an invalid key. Played whenan invalid entry is received from the user. We're sorry. This auctionhas ended early. Played if the auction Please check <auction provider>ends early, e.g., auction for more details. cancelled or item boughtusing a “buy it now” option. Your current max bid is <current max bid>.Played at the user's request. You have cancelled your bid. Played afterthe user presses *. We're sorry. We are unable to communicate Playedafter a failed bid with <auction provider>. attempt, a failed sign in, afailed offer, or a failed confirm. Please try again. Played after afailed bid attempt, a failed sign in, a failed offer, or a failedconfirm. We're sorry. Your PIN is correct, but the Played after a failed<auction provider> username and password sign in. associated with youraccount must be updated, please log into your account at <serviceprovider> to update your information. Thank you. We're sorry. Thisauction ended before your Played when a bid is bid was submitted. Thankyou for using confirmed, but the <service provider>. auction has ended.You have not yet bid on this item. Played when a user requests a bidstatus, but the user has not bid in the item. Placing bid. Please holdwhile we attempt to Played when a bid is place your bid with <auctionprovider>. confirmed by the service provider. The auction has ended.Played when an auction ends. You have won the auction. Please check yourPlayed when a user email for information from <auction provider> wins anauction. on completing this transaction. You did not win this auction.Better Played when the user luck next time. does not win an auction.Please note: You can skip ahead if you know Played when the system yourselection. Audio prompts can be is idle. interrupted at any time.Updating auction status. Please hold while we Played while verifyingverify the close of this auction with <auction that an auction hasprovider>. ended.

As depicted in FIG. 2, the communication device 216 includes a display218, a keypad 220, a speaker 222, and a microphone 224. In a particularembodiment, the communication device 216 can receive the non-voicemessage 212 and the voice message 214 from the notification device 202and broadcast, or communicate, the non-voice message 212 and the voicemessage 214 to a user via the speaker 222. The non-voice message 212 canbe broadcast in the background of the voice message 214. For example,the non-voice message 212 can be a low pulsing tone that slowlyincreases in frequency, volume, and/or pitch while the voice message 214is broadcast to the user. In a particular embodiment, the pulsing of thenon-voice message 212 indicates a countdown of time, e.g., the timeremaining to purchase an item via an auction website.

A user can respond to the voice message 214 by speaking a command intothe microphone 224 or by toggling a button on the keypad 220 thatcorresponds to a menu option presented by the voice message 214.Accordingly, the notification device 202 can communicate the status ofan item that is available at a vendor website to a user via thecommunication device 216. Further, a user can take action with respectto the item by inputting a command via the keypad 220 or the keypad 224.

In a particular embodiment, the system 200 can also provide the userwith a tutorial in order to teach the user how to interact with thesystem 200 during an auction for an item. The tutorial can simulate anauction and allow a user to bid on an imaginary item. Table 2 includes aplurality of voice messages that can be communicated to a user duringthe tutorial.

TABLE 2 Exemplary Tutorial Voice Messages. Tutorial Message This is<service provider>calling with an interactive tutorial for your newauction service. Please enter your four digit PIN now to continue. Ifyou have previously used this tutorial, press the * key during thetutorial to skip straight to the interactive bidding simulation.Otherwise, please listen carefully for instructions on getting the mostout of <service provider>. After each section of the tutorial, you willhave the option to continue on with the tutorial by pressing 1, orrepeat the previous instructions by pressing 2. Again, you can skip thetutorial instructions at any time and get right to the biddingsimulation by pressing *. System Overview: <service provider>'sinteractive auction system has two modes. Status mode and bidding mode.At the beginning of every call, you will be in status mode. You willhear the auction category, current price, if you're high bidder or not,and the time left in the auction. You will also be given a list ofoptional commands that can be entered in this menu to retrieve your maxbid, current price, auction status, and time left in auction. If you donot press a key, you will receive regular updates of the time left inthe auction, the current item price, and your bid status. After all themenus in the Status mode have been played one time, the system mayinterrupt them with real-time price and status updates from <auctionprovider>. You can press * to bid at any time when in Status Mode. Bypressing star, you exit the Status mode, and enter <service provider>'sBidding Mode. At any time, you may “exit out” of the Bidding Mode bypressing * again. While in Bidding Mode, you may enter a max price youwish to pay for an item, followed by # to submit your selection, or youmay simply press # to automatically submit a minimum bid. After enteringeither a max or minimum bid, you will be prompted to confirm yourselection by Pressing 1. Pressing 2 will allow you to re-enter theamount you wish to bid. After pressing 1 to confirm your bid, <serviceprovider> submits your bid to <auction provider>. If your bid wassuccessful, you will automatically return to the Status mode, where youwill be updated of price changes, and the time left in the auction.Press * to bid again at any time. If your bid was unsuccessful, or ifyou were immediately outbid, you will be returned to the bid menu, andhave the option to immediately re-bid. Please use this tutorial as oftenas you like. It's important that you feel completely comfortable whenyou bid on your real auctions. After only a bid simulations, you willfind that bidding on <auction provider> with few <service provider> isthe easiest way to win your auctions when you're away from the computer!You will now have the opportunity to bid on a simulated Auction. Youwill have 3 minutes to try and win this item. This is a simulation only.This is not a real Auction. Press 1 to continue with the tutorial. Press2 to repeat the section of instructions you just heard.

FIG. 2 also shows that the notification device 202 includes a searchengine 226 that is embedded within the memory 206. In a particularembodiment, the search engine 226 can be used to perform a search withan advertisement database 228 and an auction database 230 that arecoupled to the processor 204. The advertisement database 228 can includea plurality of advertisements. In a particular embodiment, theadvertisement database 228 can be keyword searched in order to findadvertisements to transmit to a user. Additionally, the auction database230 can include a plurality of items that are for sale at an auctionwebsite. The search engine 226 can be used to search the auctiondatabase 230 in order to determine if a particular item is for sale andtransmit information, e.g., in the form of an advertisement, to theuser. Either search can be performed based on an item that a user iscurrently bidding on or an item associated with a user watch list.Alternatively, the searches can be performed based on an item associatedwith a user wish list.

As shown in FIG. 2, the notification device 202 includes anadvertisement module 232 that is embedded with the memory 206. In aparticular embodiment, the advertisement module 232 communicates one ormore advertisements 234 to the communication device 216. Theadvertisements can be audio advertisements, video advertisements, videoadvertisements with audio, still image advertisements, and still imageadvertisements with audio. In a particular embodiment, a telephone callcan be placed to the communication device 216. Further, in a particularembodiment, the telephone call can include one or more advertisementinsertion windows. The advertisement module can retrieve advertisementsfrom the advertisement database 228 and insert an advertisement intoeach advertisement insertion window.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the advertisement module 232 is located withinthe notification device 202. However, in an alternative embodiment, theadvertisement module 232 can be located at a router through which atelephone call to the communication device 216 is switched. As such,when the router receives a call that is directed to the communicationdevice 216, the advertisement module 232 can insert advertisements intothe telephone call, e.g., into the advertisement insertion windowsestablished within the telephone call.

In a particular embodiment, the voice generation module 210, thenon-voice generation module 212, and the advertisement module 232 can beused to create an audio interface that is communicated to thecommunication device 216. The audio interface can be a telephone callthat includes one or more announcements, one or more user prompts, oneor more status updates, and one or more advertisements. FIG. 9,described in detail below, illustrates a telephone call that includes anaudio interface.

Referring to FIG. 3, a method of configuring a user account at themonitoring system is shown and commences at block 300. At block 300, themonitoring system receives a set up request from a user. At block 302,the user is prompted for a vendor website (URL). Moving to block 304,the monitoring system receives the vendor website URL from the user.

At block 306, the monitoring system prompts the user for accountinformation, e.g., information concerning the user account with thevendor website. In a particular embodiment, the user account informationcan include a user account name, a user account number, and a userpassword. Moving to block 308, the system receives the user accountinformation. Thereafter, at decision step 310, the system prompts theuser to determine whether the user has an additional account with thevendor website. If so, the method returns to block 306 and continues asdescribed.

If the user does not have an additional account with the vendor website,the method proceeds to block 312 and the user is prompted for a triggerevent. In a particular embodiment, the trigger event can be a particularonline auction for a particular item. Further, in a particularembodiment, the trigger event can be the release of a particular item,e.g., concert tickets, at a vendor website. Further, the trigger eventcan be a price decrease of a particular item, the release of a new book,the release of a new compact disk, etc. At block 314, the systemreceives the trigger event for the vendor.

Continuing to decision step 316, the system prompts the user todetermine whether the user wishes to set up an account with anothervendor. If the user indicates that the user would like to set up anaccount with another vendor, the method returns to block 302 andcontinues as described. If the user indicates that the user does notwant to set up an account with another vendor, the method proceeds toblock 318 and the system prompts the user for contact information ornotification information. In a particular embodiment, the contactinformation or notification information can include a telephone number,e.g., a cellular telephone number, a mobile telephone number, or apublic switched telephone network (PSTN) telephone number. At block 320,the system receives the user contact information or notificationinformation.

Proceeding to block 322, the system prompts the user for numbervalidation. At block 324, the system receives the number validation fromthe user. Next, at block 326, the system can prompt the user for anauthentication, e.g., a personal identification number (PIN), that canbe associated with the user account at the monitoring system. At block328, the system receives the PIN from the user. The method then ends atstate 330. Accordingly, the method described above can be used by a userto register with the monitoring system. Further, based on theinformation input to the monitoring system the user can be alerted whenany of the trigger events input to the monitoring system occur at one ormore vendor websites.

Referring to FIG. 4, a method of monitoring a vendor website for atrigger event is shown. Beginning at block 400, the monitoring systemaccesses the vendor website, e.g., via the Internet. At block 402, themonitoring system receives data from the vendor website. Next, at block404, the monitoring system monitors the data from the vendor website.Moving to decision step 406, the monitoring system determines whether anotification event is detected based on the data received from thevendor website. If a notification event is not detected, the methodreturns to block 402 and continues as described herein. In a particularembodiment, the monitoring system can detect a notification event bymonitoring the data received from the vender website for one or more ofthe triggers input by the user, e.g., an imminent end of an auction anda price decrease of a product.

On the other hand, if a notification event is detected, the methodproceeds to block 408 and the monitoring system communicates apre-notification message to the user. Next, at block 410 the monitoringsystem interacts with a user via a voice channel. In a particularembodiment, the pre-notification message can be sent to the user apredetermined time before the interaction with the user, e.g., thirtyminutes prior to the interaction. Additionally, the pre-notificationmessage can be sent to the user via a short messaging system (SMS), anemail system, or an alphanumeric paging system. Also, in a particularembodiment, the pre-notification message can include the exact time thatthe interaction with the user is scheduled, the subject of theinteraction, and other relevant information, e.g., a bid status, anauction status, a time remaining for the auction, etc. Further, in anexemplary, non-limiting embodiment, the interaction with the user can befacilitated using an interactive voice response (IVR) module at themonitoring system.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary method of interacting with a user that isregistered with an auction website. FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary methodof interacting with a user that is registered with an e-commerce websiteoffering products for sale at set pricing.

Returning to FIG. 4, at decision step 412, the monitoring systemdetermines whether the transaction has been completed, e.g., whether theuser has purchased an item associated with the notification event orwhether an auction associated with the notification event has ended. Ifthe transaction is completed, the method proceeds to block 414 and themonitoring system provides customer account information to the vendorwebsite. In a particular embodiment, the account information can includea login identification and a password. Further, in a particularembodiment, the account information can include an affiliateidentification, which can be used to track successful bids andsuccessful transactions. In another embodiment, the account informationcan include billing information, e.g., an account number, a credit cardnumber, etc.

At block 416, the monitoring system receives compensation from thevendor website for facilitating the transaction. The method then ends atstate 418. In a particular embodiment, the monitoring system can becompensated via an affiliate program associated with the vendor website.For example, an affiliate program identification can be tracked and themonitoring system can be credited for transactions. Additionally, in aparticular embodiment, a transaction may include a completed purchase ofan item. Alternatively, a transaction may include a successful bid foran item at an auction website. Returning to decision step 412, if thetransaction is not completed, e.g., the user has decided not to purchasethe item associated with the notification event, the method ends atstate 418.

In a particular embodiment, the monitoring system can monitor the numberof successful transactions and determine the rate at which successfultransactions occur. As such, the monitoring system can further targetparticular users that are prone to completing transactions andpurchasing goods. Further, the monitoring system can determine thepercentage of total calls established that result in completedtransactions that may be subject to billing to a vendor website.Alternatively, the monitoring system can determine the percentage oftotal calls that are compensated calls where the vendor website payscompensation either directly or through an affiliated payment plan inconnection with user action made during the calls. In a particularembodiment, during operation, the percentage of total calls billed toone or more vendor websites is above a targeted percentage, e.g., tenpercent, twenty percent, and fifty percent. The percentage of callsbilled can be used to modify the monitoring system. For example, if thepercentage of calls billed falls below the targeted percentage themonitoring system can modify the number of users that are called.Alternatively, the monitoring system can review the historical data foreach user and only target those users that have a history of completingtransactions via the monitoring system.

Referring to FIG. 5, a method of contacting a registered user regardingan auction website event is shown and commences at block 500. At block500, the monitoring system attempts to contact a registered user over avoice channel, such as a cellular telephone. Next, at decision step 502,the monitoring system determines whether the user is available, i.e.,has the user answered the telephone. If the user is not available, themethod proceeds to decision step 504 and the monitoring systemdetermines whether a voice mail system answers the call from themonitoring system. If not, the method ends at state 506. Otherwise, if avoice mail system answers the call from the monitoring system, themethod continues to block 508 and the monitoring system communicates anaudio message, e.g., an MP3 message, to the user voice mail. The methodthen ends at state 506.

Returning to decision step 502, when the user is available, the methodproceeds to block 510 and the monitoring system communicates an audiogreeting to the user 510. Thereafter, at step 512, the monitoring systemprompts the user for a PIN in order to verify the user's identity.Proceeding to decision step 514, the monitoring system determineswhether a PIN is received.

When a PIN is not received, the monitoring system prompts the user todetermine whether the user would like the monitoring system to retrievethe PIN. If the user indicates that the user does not want themonitoring system to retrieve the PIN, the method ends at state 506.Conversely, when the user indicates to the monitoring system that theuser does want the monitoring system to retrieve the PIN, the methodproceeds to block 518 and the monitoring system retrieves the user PIN.Next, at block 520, the monitoring system communicates the user PIN tothe user email account. At block 522, the monitoring system indicatesthat the PIN has been communicated to the user email account.

Returning to decision step 514, when a PIN is received from the user,the method proceeds to decision step 524 and the monitoring systemdetermines whether the PIN is correct. If the PIN is incorrect, themethod moves to block 526 and the monitoring system indicates to theuser that the PIN is incorrect. The method then returns to block 512 andcontinues as described herein.

When a correct PIN is received at decision step 524, the methodcontinues to block 528 and the monitoring system communicates an auctionannouncement to the user, e.g., by communicating an audio message to theuser. In a particular embodiment, the auction announcement can includethe number of the auction, the category of the auction, the sub-categoryof the auction, and the name of the item. Thereafter, at block 530, themonitoring system communicates the current price of the item, thecurrent bid state, and the remaining auction time to the user. In aparticular embodiment, the monitoring system can contact the user whenthe remaining auction time is less than ten minutes, e.g., six minutes,three minutes, etc. Further, in an alternative embodiment, a timeremaining for the auction can be communicated to the user in response tothe user inputting a request for the time remaining, e.g., using akeypad at a telephone. In another alternative embodiment, the timeremaining can be dynamically injected into a phone session in order togive real-time updates concerning the time remaining for the auction ora quantity remaining for a particular item.

Moving to decision step 532, the monitoring website determines whetherthe user is the high bidder. If the user is the high bidder, the methodcontinues to block 534 and the monitoring system indicates to the userthat the user is the high bidder. At block 536, the monitoring systemmonitors the time remaining in the auction. Next, at block 538, themonitoring system monitors the bid. Proceeding to decision step 540, themonitoring system determines whether the bid has changed. If the bidchanges, the method returns to block 530 and continues as described.

On the other hand, if the bid has not changed, the method moves todecision step 542 and the monitoring system determines whether theauction has ended. If the auction has not ended, the method returns toblock 536 and continues as described herein. When the auction ends, themethod moves to block 544 and the monitoring system indicates that theauction has ended. The method then ends at state 506.

Returning to decision step 532, if the user is not the high bidder, themethod proceeds to block 546 and the monitoring system indicates thatthe user is not the high bidder. Next, at decision step 548, themonitoring system prompts the user to determine whether the user wouldlike to increase his or her bid. If the user does not want to increasethe bid, the method ends at state 506. When the user wants to increasethe bid, the method moves to block 550 and the monitoring systemretrieves the bid increment from the auction website. In a particularembodiment, the monitoring system can increase the user's bid to theuser's maximum bid.

In a particular embodiment, the monitoring system determines real-timestate information, such as high-bid status, through interaction with theauction website. For example, the time remaining for an auction can bemanaged at the auction website and the monitoring system canperiodically poll the auction website in order to determine the timeremaining.

Proceeding to decision step 552, the monitoring system determineswhether the user's bid is greater than the current bid. If the user'sbid is not greater than the current bid, the method proceeds to block554 and the monitoring system indicates that the user is still outbid.The method returns to decision step 548 and continues as described. Atdecision step 552, when the user's bid is greater than the current bid,the method moves to block 556 and the monitoring system prompts the userto confirm the bid. Next, at block 558, the monitoring system places thebid for the user.

Continuing to block 560, the monitoring system parses a bid responsereceived from the auction website. At decision step 562, the monitoringsystem determines whether the user's bid is successful. If the user'sbid is not successful, the method proceeds to block 564 and themonitoring system indicates that the user's bid has failed. The methodthen returns to decision step 548 and continues as described herein.

At decision step 562, if the user's bid is successful, the methodproceeds to decision step 566 and the monitoring system determineswhether the user has been outbid. If the user is outbid, the methodproceeds to block 568 and the monitoring system indicates to the userthat the bid is successful, but the user has been outbid. The methodthen returns to decision step 548 and continues as described.Conversely, if the user is not outbid, the method proceeds to block 570and the monitoring system indicates to the user that the user's bid wassuccessful. Then, the method returns to block 530 and continues asdescribed.

Referring to FIG. 6, a method of contacting a registered user about ane-commerce website is shown and commences at block 600. At block 600,the monitoring system attempts to contact a registered user via atelephone, e.g., a cellular telephone or a landline telephone. Next, atdecision step 602, the monitoring system determines whether the user isavailable, i.e., has the user answered the call. If the user is notavailable, the method proceeds to decision step 604 and the monitoringsystem determines whether a voice mail system answers the call from themonitoring system. If not, the method ends at state 606. Otherwise, if avoice mail system answers the call from the monitoring system, themethod continues to block 608 and the monitoring system communicates anaudio message, e.g., an MP3 message, to the user voice mail. The methodthen ends at state 606.

Returning to decision step 602, when the user is available, the methodproceeds to block 610 and the monitoring system communicates an audiogreeting to the user 610. Thereafter, at step 612, the monitoring systemprompts the user for a PIN in order to verify the user's identity.Proceeding to decision step 614, the monitoring system determineswhether a PIN is received.

When a PIN is not received, the monitoring system prompts the user todetermine whether the user would like the monitoring system to retrievethe PIN. If the user indicates that the user does not want themonitoring system to retrieve the PIN, the method ends at state 606.Conversely, when the user indicates to the monitoring system that theuser does want the monitoring system to retrieve the PIN, the methodproceeds to block 618 and the monitoring system retrieves the user PIN.Next, at block 620, the monitoring system communicates the user PIN tothe user email account. At block 622, the monitoring system indicatesthat the PIN has been communicated to the user email account.

Returning to decision step 614, when a PIN is received from the user,the method proceeds to decision step 624 and the monitoring systemdetermines whether the PIN is correct. If the PIN is incorrect, themethod moves to block 626 and the monitoring system indicates to theuser that the PIN is incorrect. The method then returns to block 612 andcontinues as described.

When a correct PIN is received at decision step 624, the methodcontinues to block 628 and the monitoring system indicates that a soughtafter item, e.g., an item on a watch list or wish list established bythe user with the monitoring system or the vendor website, is availablefor purchase or is at a target price desired by the user. Next, at block630, the monitoring system communicates a current price to the user. Ina particular embodiment, the monitoring system communicates with theuser by communicating audio messages to the user. Moving to decisionstep 632, the monitoring system prompts the user in order to determinewhether the user wants to purchase the sought after item. If the userdoes not want to purchase the sought after item, the method ends atstate 606.

On the other hand, if the user indicates that the user wants to purchasethe sought after item, the method proceeds to block 634 and themonitoring system communicates the user payment information, previouslysupplied to the monitoring system, to the vender website. Thereafter, atblock 636, the monitoring system determines whether payment has beenaccepted by the vendor website. If payment is not accepted, the methodproceeds to block 638 and the monitoring system indicates to the userthat payment has not been accepted by the vendor website. The methodthen ends at state 606. In a particular embodiment, payment can befacilitated using previously stored payment data, e.g., using a “oneclick” shopping mechanism at the vendor website.

When payment is accepted, the method proceeds to block 640 and themonitoring system indicates to the user that the sought after item hasbeen purchased. Proceeding to block 642, the monitoring system bills thevendor website for completing the transaction. The method then ends atstate 606.

In one or more of the methods disclosed, a user is authenticated byinputting a PIN. However, the user can input one or more alternativeauthentication inputs. For example, the authentication input can be abiometric input, such as a voice input, a fingerprint scan, a palm scan,an iris scan, a retinal scan, facial mapping, infrared pattern matching,etc. Alternatively, the authentication can be performed using a physicaltoken device, e.g., a passkey or a universal serial bus (USB) dongle.

Referring to FIG. 7, a method of advertising is illustrated andcommences at block 700, where a system establishes a telephone call to auser. At block 702, the system authenticates the user, e.g., byprompting the user for a PIN and verifying that the PIN matches a PINthat is stored for the user. In an alternative embodiment, the systemcan authenticate the user using one or more of the other authenticationinputs described herein.

Moving to block 704, the system communicates an auction announcement tothe user. In a particular embodiment, the auction announcement caninclude one or more of the following: an auction number, an auctioncategory, an auction sub-category, an item name, an item number, orother auction related information. At block 706, the system communicatesa current price, a bid state, and a remaining auction time to the user.

Proceeding to decision step 708, the system determines whether the useris the current high bidder. If so, the method moves to block 710 and thesystem indicates that the user is a current high bidder. Thereafter, atblock 712, the system communicates an advertisement to the user. In aparticular embodiment, the system can include an advertisement modulethat inserts advertisements into the telephone call.

In a particular embodiment, the advertisement is an audio advertisement,i.e., an advertisement that includes audio. Further, the advertisementis a targeted advertisement, e.g., an advertisement that is targeted toa user based on the auction item that the user has submitted a bid on oran auction item that the user has placed on a watch list. For example,if the user is bidding on a set of golf clubs, the advertisement can befor a golfing vacation, a public golf course, or other golf relatedservice or item. Alternatively, the advertisement is a generaladvertisement that is part of a mass marketing campaign. For example,the advertisement can be for a new wireless Internet service availablevia a cellular telephone or other wireless device. At block 714, thesystem monitors the time left in the auction. Further, at block 716, thesystem monitors the current high bid associated with the item.

Continuing to decision step 718, the system determines whether thecurrent high bid has changed. When the current high bid changes, themethod moves to decision step 720 and the system determines whether anadvertisement transmission is in progress. If so, the method proceeds toblock 722, and the system interrupts the transmission of theadvertisement and the method returns to block 706 and continues asdescribed. If an advertisement transmission is not in progress, themethod returns directly to block 706 and continues as described tocommunicate the changed bid information.

Returning to decision step 718, if the current high bid has not changed,the method moves to decision step 724 and the system determines whetherthe auction has ended. If the auction has not ended, the method moves todecision step 726 and the system determines whether the current time iswithin a predetermined time of the end of the auction, e.g., threeminutes, two minutes, one minute, etc. If not, the method returns tostep 712 and continues. Conversely, if the current time is within thepredetermined time of the end of the auction, the method moves to block728 and the system ceases transmission of advertisements to the user. Assuch, the telephone call includes an advertisement-free time period inwhich advertisements are not communicated to the user. As an auctionwinds down, this may prevent a user from being distracted or missing achance to increase a bid for an item. The method then returns to block714 and continues as described.

In a particular embodiment, as long as the auction has not ended and aslong as the advertisement-free time period has not begun, the system cancontinue to send advertisements to the user. For example, the system cansend a first advertisement, a second advertisement, a thirdadvertisement, and an N^(th) advertisement. Each of the advertisementscan be different. Alternatively, the system can repeat the sameadvertisement one or more times.

Returning to decision step 724, when the auction ends, the methodproceeds to block 730 and the system indicates to the user that theauction is over. Moving to block 732, the system communicates anotheradvertisement to the user. In a particular embodiment, the advertisementis an audio advertisement. Also, in a particular embodiment, theadvertisement is a targeted advertisement, e.g., an advertisement thatis targeted to the user based on the item that the user has submitted abid or has placed on a watch list. Alternatively, the advertisement is ageneral advertisement that is part of a mass marketing campaign. Atblock 734, the system communicates a final status to the user. In aparticular embodiment, the final status indicates whether the user haswon or lost the auction. Proceeding to block 736, the systemcommunicates yet another advertisement to the user.

In a particular embodiment, if the user wins the auction, theadvertisement communicated at block 736 can be an advertisement for anitem that is related to the item that the user has won. The related itemmay be available at the auction website, at another website, or throughanother retail channel. If the user does not win the auction, theadvertisement communicated at block 736 may be an advertisement for anitem that is similar to the item that the user did not win. The similaritem can also be available at the auction website, at another website,or through another retail channel.

In a particular embodiment, the advertisements can be targeted based onthe types of items for which users submit bids. As such, an advertisingclient can target goods or services directly to particular users.Further, the advertisement spots within a telephone call can be soldbased on the types of customers that the advertising client istargeting.

At decision step 738, the system determines whether a response to themost recent advertisement is received. For example, if the advertisementis for another item that is up for auction at the auction website, theuser can be prompted at the end of the advertisement to place the itemon a watch list. Alternatively, the user can be prompted to purchase anitem offered for sale in the advertisement. In either case, if aresponse is received from the user, the method moves to block 740 andthe system processes the response. For example, the system can place anitem on a watch list or forward a request to place an item on a watchlist to an auction system. Additionally, the system can process apurchase request or forward a purchase request to an alternate systemwhere it can be processed at a later time. The method then ends at state742. At decision step 738, if a response is not received, the methodmoves directly to state 742 and ends.

Returning to decision step 708, if the user is not the high bidder, themethod proceeds to block 744 and the system indicates that the user isnot the current high bidder. Continuing to decision step 746, the systemprompts the user to increase his or her bid. If the user does not wantto increase the bid, the method moves to block 736 and continues asillustrated in FIG. 7. On the other hand, if the user wants to increasethe bid, the method proceeds to block 748 and the system submits theincreased bid for the user. The method then returns to decision step 708and continues as described.

FIG. 8 illustrates another method of advertising. Beginning at block800, a system determines an item identifier that is associated with anitem that a user is bidding on. At block 802, the system searches adatabase of available advertisements using the item identifier in orderto find matching advertisements. At block 804, the system communicates afirst matching advertisement.

Moving to decision step 806, the system determines whether the auctionfor the item has ended. If not, the system communicates a secondmatching advertisement to the user at block 808. The method then returnsto decision step 806. In a particular embodiment, the system cancontinue communicating advertisements until the auction for the item hasended. For example, the system can transmit a third matchingadvertisement, a fourth matching advertisement, and an N^(th) matchingadvertisement.

In a particular embodiment, the advertisements can be prioritized basedon one or more advertisement placement criteria submitted, and paid for,by advertising clients. For example, a particular advertising client maypay a premium to advertise to users that bid on auto parts. As such, thefirst matching advertisement may be an advertisement that better matchesthe criteria than the second matching advertisement. Further, the firstmatching advertisement may be associated with an advertising client thathas paid more for that particular advertising spot than an advertisingclient associated with a second advertisement.

At decision step 806, when the auction ends, the method proceeds todecision step 810 and the system determines whether the user is awinning bidder. If the user is the winning bidder, the method moves todecision step 812 and the system determines whether a related item isavailable. If a related item is not available, the method ends at state814. Conversely, if a related item is available, the method moves toblock 816 and the system communicates an advertisement about the relateditem to the user.

Continuing to decision step 818, the system determines whether a userresponse to the advertisement is received. If so, the system processesthe user response at block 820. The method then ends at state 814. In aparticular embodiment, the response can be an indication to purchase therelated item, an indication to place the related item on a watch list,an indication to submit a bid for the related item, an indication toplace the related item on a wish list, or an indication to take otheraction with respect to the related item.

Returning to decision step 810, if the user is not the winning bidder,the method proceeds to decision step 822 and the system determineswhether a similar item is available. If a similar item is not available,the method ends at state 814. On the other hand, if a similar item isavailable, the method proceeds to block 824 and the system communicatesan advertisement about the similar item to the user. The method thenproceeds to decision step 818 and continues as described.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method of inserting advertisements into a telephonecall. Beginning at block 900, a device, such as a router or switch,receives a first signal that includes an announcement associated with anonline auction. In a particular embodiment, the first signal is atelephone call that is related to an online auction. In a particularembodiment, the telephone call is directed to a user of the onlineauction and includes information related to an item that the user isbidding on at the online auction site. Further, the telephone callincludes one or more advertisement insertion windows into whichadvertisements may be inserted.

At block 902, the device retrieves an identifier that is associated withthe first signal. In a particular embodiment, the identifier canidentify the item that is the subject of the telephone call or a type ofitem that is the subject of the telephone call. Moving to block 904, thedevice retrieves an advertisement. In a particular embodiment, theadvertisement is retrieved at least partially based on the identifierassociated with the telephone call. For example, if the identifierindicates that the user is bidding on a gambling related item, thedevice can retrieve an advertisement based on the gambling related item,e.g., an advertisement related for a trip to Las Vegas.

Proceeding to block 906, the device combines at least one audioadvertisement with the signal to produce a combine signal. In aparticular embodiment, the device inserts the at least one advertisementinto the telephone call. In a particular embodiment, the device insertsthe advertisement into an advertisement insertion window located in thetelephone call. The advertisement insertion window can include a flag toindicate the beginning of the advertisement insertion window and thelength of the advertisement insertion window. In a particularembodiment, the length is measured in seconds.

At block 908, the device communicates the combined signal, e.g., thetelephone call with the advertisement, over a voice channel. In aparticular embodiment, the device also communicates an audibleauthorization prompt with the combined signal. Moving to decision step910, the device determines whether the call has ended. If the call hasnot ended, the method proceeds to block 912, and the device retrievesanother advertisement, e.g., based on the previously received identifierassociated with the telephone call. The method then returns to block 906and continues. At decision step 910, when the call ends, the methodmoves to block 914 and the communication is ended. The method then endsat state 916.

Referring to FIG. 10, an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment, of atelephone call to a user is shown and is generally designated 1000. Forclarity and ease of description, the telephone call 1000 is illustratedas a linear timeline. An arrow, labeled 1002, indicates the passing oftime during the telephone call 1000.

As shown, the telephone call 1000 includes a beginning 1004. After thetelephone call 1000 begins, an auction announcement 1006 is communicatedto the user. In a particular embodiment, the auction announcement 1006identifies the calling party and includes the reason for the call.

As depicted, the telephone call 1000 also includes an authorizationprompt 1008. In an illustrative embodiment, the authorization prompt1008 can prompt the called party for a PIN or other type ofauthorization. In a particular embodiment, the telephone call 1000 caninclude a first advertisement insertion window 1010 into which a firstadvertisement 1012 can be inserted. Also, the telephone call 1000 caninclude a second advertisement insertion window 1014 into which a secondadvertisement 1016 can be inserted. Further, the telephone call 1000 caninclude an N^(th) advertisement insertion window 1018 into which anN^(th) advertisement 1020 can be inserted.

In a particular embodiment, the advertisements 1012, 1016, 1020 can beinserted by the system that originates the telephone 1000.Alternatively, the advertisements 1012, 1016, 1020 can be inserted by arouter or switch through which the telephone call 1000 is routed orswitched to the called party. Additionally, the advertisements 1012,1016, 1020 can be inserted by any third party system associated with thecall or with the auction system.

In a particular embodiment, the advertisements 1012, 1026, 1020 can betargeted advertisements that are related to the reason for the call. Forexample, the advertisements 1012, 1016, 1020 can be related to an itemthat the called party is bidding on at an auction website.Alternatively, the advertisements 1012, 1016, 1020 can be generaladvertisements that are part of a mass marketing campaign for aparticular product or service.

FIG. 10 further indicates that the telephone call 1000 includes anauction ending soon indicator 1022. In a particular embodiment, theauction ending soon indicator 1022 occurs at a predetermined time beforethe end of the auction. FIG. 10 shows that the telephone call 1000 canalso include an advertisement-free time period 1024 during whichadvertisements are not communicated to the called party. As such, thecalled party may not be distracted by advertisements as the auction fora sought after item winds down. The telephone call 1000 also includes anend of auction indicator 1026. In a particular embodiment, the end ofauction indicator 1026 indicates the end of an auction for an item thatthe called party was bidding on or was watching. In a particularembodiment, the advertisement-free time period 1024 ends at the end ofthe auction.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, during the advertisement-free time period1024, the telephone call 1000 can include a status update 1028 and afirst user action prompt 1030. In a particular embodiment, the statusupdate 1028 can indicate the current high bid and whether the calledparty is the current high bidder. Further, the user action prompt 1030can be prompt for the called party to take action with respect to theitem that is the subject of the auction in question. For example, thecalled party can be prompted to increase a bid for an item, to increasea maximum bid for an item, to buy an item now, or to take other actionwith respect to the item.

FIG. 10 also shows that the telephone call 1000 can include a pre-finalstatus announcement advertisement 1032 that is communicated to thecalled party before a final status announcement 1034. In a particularembodiment, the final status announcement 1034 can indicate whether ornot the called party has won the auction for the sought after item. Thetelephone call 1000 can also include a post-final status announcementadvertisement 1036 that is communicated to the called party after thefinal status announcement 1034.

In a particular embodiment, the post-final status announcementadvertisement 1036 is a contextual advertisement, i.e., an advertisementformulated in the context of the item that was the reason for thetelephone call 1000. Further, in a particular embodiment, if the calledparty is a winning bidder, the post-final status announcementadvertisement 1036 can be an advertisement for a related item. Forexample, if the item that the called party won is a set of golf clubs,the related item that is the subject of the post-final statusannouncement advertisement 1036 can be a box of golf balls, a golf bag,a pull cart, or other golf related item.

In another particular embodiment, if the called party is not the winningbidder, the post-final status announcement advertisement 1036 can be anadvertisement for a similar item. For example, if the item that thecalled party did not win is an antique diving helmet, the post-finalstatus announcement advertisement 1036 can be an advertisement foranother antique diving helmet that is up for auction at the auctionsite. As such, the called party may have another chance to bid on anitem that is similar to the item that the called party did not win.

As further illustrated in FIG. 10, the telephone call 1000 can include asecond user action prompt 1038. In a particular embodiment, the seconduser action prompt 1038 can be a prompt for the called party to takeaction with respect to the item that is the subject of the auction inquestion. For example, the called party can be prompted to bid on anitem, to buy an item now, to place an item on a watch list, or to takeother action with respect to the item. In either case, if a response isreceived from the user, the system processes the response. For example,the system can place an item on a watch list or forward a request toplace an item on a watch list to an auction system. Additionally, thesystem can process a purchase request or forward a purchase request toan alternate system where it can be processed at a later time. Thesystem can also post a bid for an item based on a user response. Asindicated in FIG. 10, the telephone call 1000 includes an end 1040 thatoccurs when the call is terminated.

In a particular embodiment, the telephone call 1000 may include multipleannouncements throughout the telephone call 1000 before the end of theauction and before the final status announcement 1034 is communicated tothe user.

In a particular embodiment, the telephone call 1000 can be transmittedas a data signal. Further, the data signal can be transmitted over aVoIP channel. In a particular embodiment, the data signal can include afirst digital signal that represents a human audible announcement thatincludes audio information associated with an online auction item.Further, the data can include a second digital signal that represents ahuman audible authorization prompt and a third digital signal thatrepresents at least one human audible advertisement. In a particularembodiment, the first digital signal, the second digital signal, and thethird digital signal can be stored in a computer readable memory priorto transmission via the VoIP channel.

With the configuration of structure described above, the system andmethod of event triggered voice call origination provides a way tomonitor auction websites and e-commerce websites and facilitatetransactions with those websites. For example, the system can contact auser concerning an item that the user has submitted a bid to purchase atan auction website. In particular, the system can contact the user asthe auction for the item is nearing its scheduled end. The system cancommunicate voice messages to the user concerning the item, e.g., price,current bid status, item category, item sub-category, time remaining,etc.

Also, the system can communicate advertisements to the user during atelephone call to the user concerning an item that the user has bid on,placed on a watch list, or placed on a wish list. The advertisements canbe general advertisements or contextual advertisements that are relatedto the auction item. If the user has won, or otherwise purchased, aparticular item, the advertisement can be for an item related to theitem that the user has won. If the user failed to win an item, or wasunable to purchase the item, the advertisement can be for a similaritem.

The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments which fall within thetrue spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, to the maximumextent allowed by law, the scope of the present invention is to bedetermined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the followingclaims and their equivalents and shall not be restricted or limited bythe foregoing detailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: sending, from a mobilecommunication device to a second device, verification information;receiving, at the mobile communication device from the second deviceresponsive to the sending of the verification information, anannouncement for presentation via an output device of the mobilecommunication device, the announcement including purchase informationfor a first item, the first item available for purchase via a website;after receipt of the announcement, receiving, at the mobilecommunication device from the second device, a message for presentationvia the output device of the mobile communication device, the messageincluding information associated with a second item distinct from thefirst item; and during presentation of the message via the output deviceand responsive to a change in a particular condition associated with thepurchase information: receiving updated purchase information for thefirst item from the second device; and displaying the updated purchaseinformation for the first item via the output device of the mobilecommunication device.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprisingreceiving user input responsive to the announcement.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the user input increases a bid price for the firstitem, and further comprising sending data including the bid price fromthe mobile communication device to the second device.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the purchase information includes a closing time of anauction, and further comprising, after the closing time, receiving afinal status notice from the second device for presentation via theoutput device.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, after thefinal status notice, receiving a second message from the second devicefor presentation via the output device, the second message associatedwith a particular item.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising,after an end of the second message, receiving a prompt for presentationvia the output device, the prompt to enable purchase of the particularitem, to enable addition of the particular item to a watch list, toenable addition of the particular item to a wish list, or anycombination thereof.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprisingreceiving user input responsive to the updated purchase information. 8.The method of claim 7, wherein the user input increases a bid price forthe first item, and further comprising sending data including the bidprice from the mobile communication device to the second device.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the second device comprises a computerserver.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises atargeted advertisement based on the first item, demographics, previousinteractions, purchase history, or any combination thereof.
 11. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that areexecutable by a processor to perform operations comprising: sendingverification information to a device; receiving, from the deviceresponsive to the sending of the verification information, anannouncement for presentation via an output device, the announcementincluding purchase information for a first item, the first itemavailable for purchase via a website; after receipt of the announcement,receiving from the device, a message for presentation via the outputdevice, the message including information associated with a second itemdistinct from the first item; and during presentation of the message viathe output device and responsive to a particular condition changeassociated with the purchase information: receiving updated purchaseinformation for the first item from the device; and displaying apresentation of the updated purchase information for the first item viathe output device.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 11, wherein the purchase information includes a closing time of anauction for the first item, and wherein the operations further compriseafter the closing time, receiving a second message for presentation viathe output device, the message including information associated with aparticular item.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 11, wherein the device comprises a call server.
 14. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein theverification information includes biometric information data.
 15. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the messagecomprises an advertisement.
 16. A method comprising: verifying, at amobile communication device, identification information received from asecond device; and in response verification of the identificationinformation: sending, from the mobile communication device to the seconddevice, an announcement for presentation to a user of the second device,the announcement including purchase information for a first item, thefirst item available for purchase via a website; after sending theannouncement, transmitting a message from the mobile communicationdevice to the second device for presentation to the user, the messageincluding information associated with a second item distinct from thefirst item; and responsive to detection of a change in a particularcondition of the purchase information: stopping, at the mobilecommunication device, transmission of the message to the second device;and sending updated purchase information for the first item from themobile communication device to the second device for presentation to theuser.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising monitoring thewebsite for a particular condition change.
 18. The method of claim 16,further comprising: receiving purchase information from the seconddevice responsive to the updated purchase information; and sendingpurchase data to the website based on the purchase information to enablepurchase of the first item.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein theidentification information comprises a personal identification number.20. The method of claim 16, wherein the particular condition comprises achange from a status as a top bidder for the first item.